Quench pot for wire and the like



April 1957 H. H.3ORDAN 2,788,790

QUENCH POT FOR WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l N FFEFEE HAROLD H JOPfiA/V BY (kiwi-w $05M April 16, 1957 H. H. JORDAN 2,783,790

QUENCH POT FOR WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed Jan 13, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fig. 3

INVENTOR. HAROL D h. JU/PDAA/ QTT /2A EV6,

United States Patent QUENCH POT FOR WIRE AND THE LIKE Harold H. Jordan, Cleckheaton, England, assignor to The Trauwood Engineering Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 13, 1954, Serial No. 403,841

4 Claims. (Cl. 134-108) This invention relates as indicated to the quenching of heated wire and like material, and more particularly to a quench pot therefor of an improved construction.

Quenching baths of the type to which the present improvements relate are widely used in the continuous heat treatment of moving wire and other strand or strip material, and it is well understood that the temperature of such baths must be accurately controlled in order to obtain the uniform quenching required for the desired metallurgical properties in the finished products. The material is preferably quenched in a single pass in the bath, since this improves the efliciency of the operation by reducing bending of the work, and in order to take advantage of the increased operating speeds available in modern apparatus, the bath must be of substantial length to afford a quenching contact with the work for the required period of time. Increasing the length of the bath, however, makes it more difficult to maintain the temperature throughout within the permissible narrow limits, and local areas of unequal temperature are apt to occur. This is particularly noticeable at the work entering end of the bath where the heated material first contacts the quench liquid, since the greater heat extraction at such point tends to form a hot spot of an elevated temperature which may exceed the allowable upper limit and, in any event, produces a temperature gradient in the bath.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a quench pot for use in the continuous treatment of wire and the like characterized by an improved temperature stability in operation, thereby to afford a uniform quenching action.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a quench pot wherein the liquid thereof is circulated in a manner so as to prevent the formation of a hot spot at the work entering end of the pot.

An additional object is to provide a tube circulation of quench liquid in a bath of this nature which is of simple and economical construction.

It is a further object to provide tube circulating means in a quench bath which maybe withdrawn partially therefrom without operative disconnection, thereby to permit ready inspection of the means itself and observation of the actual operating flow therethrough.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and he annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of my improved quench pot construction;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the pot taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

'ice

Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section as viewed from the plane of the line 33 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the illustrated quench pot is comprised of a rectangular metal pan 10 adapted to have the work advanced lengthwise therethrough. The pan is adapted to contain a considerable mass of a quench liquid and has a substantial operative length between the work entering and exiting ends, indicated generally at A and B, respectively, so that the work, in this case the wire W, may be moved rapidly through the pot and still be quenched to the desired degree.

The pan 10 is supported within an insulating outer shell of suitable heat resistant bricks 11 and in order to control accurately the liquid temperature, the pan is equipped with means for both cooling and heating the same. The cooling structure is in the form of a series of fluid conduits 12 arranged beneath the pan bottom and adapted to circulate a suitable cooling fluid into contact therewith. Heating of the bath is accomplished by means of a plurality of electric immersion heaters 13 which extend through a side wall of the outer insulating shell and transversely across the lower portion of the pan, as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The heaters are supported at the opposite pan wall by the blocks 14 out of contact with the pan bottom, and at their other ends they are provided with terminals 15 for connection to a suitable source of supply. A protective hood 16 encloses the terminal ends of the heaters. It will be obvious that both the heating and cooling means may be suitably controlled automatically to maintain the liquid at the desired temperature.

Suspended from the upper walls of the pan are two guide bars 17 and 18 located, respectively, at the work entering and exiting ends of the pan to depress the moving wire beneath the operating level of quench liquid. While only a single strand of wire is shown in Fig. 2, the guide bars are capable of handling a plurality of strands at the same time, maintaining them in spaced apart relation as they pass through the bath.

A pump well 19 is located against a side of the metal pan at the work-entering end thereof, and this well is also enclosed by the insulating shell. Mounted to be'operati've within the well is a conventional pump 20 adapted to be driven by a suitable electric motor, not shown. The pump will draw liquid from the well as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3 at the pump bottom, and will discharge the same under pressure into the outlet pipe 21. The well is in liquid communication with the pan 10 through an inlet header 22 extending across the work-entering end A and having a plurality of openings 23 so that liquid may flow from such end to the pump. Rotatably engaged about the end of the pipe 21 is an outlet header 24 which likewise extends into and across the work-entering end of the pan. The support blocks 25 and 26 engaging, respectively, the top and bottom of the closed end of the outlet header are such that the header may be rotated about the pump outlet pipe.

Elbows 27 and 28 are rigidly connected, for example by welding, to the outlet header in spaced relation so that they are positioned generally at the respective side portions of the pan. Connected to the elbows 27 is a first tube 2 9 whic h extends from this connection substantially to the advance or work exiting end of the pan. At such further end the tube 29 is open and, therefore, operative to discharge the liquid circulated therethrough at this end. A second tube 30 is similarly connected to the elbow 28 and operative in the same manner.

The two tubes are suspended from the respective side walls of the pan by the brackets 31 located at intervals along such sides, and both these brackets and the guide bars are either loosely supported from the pan walls or observed. This latter feature is particularly advantageous;

with quench liquids which tend to'coaton the inner tube surfaces and thus restrict the how.

' In operation, the quench liquid at the entering end A of the pan is continuously withdrawn by the pump and circulated through the pair of tubes to the opposite end.

. This action establishes a definite flow of the liquid in a direction opposite to that of the work through the same, and the continual removal of entering end liquid effectively prevents the formation of a local hot spot in that area. In addition, the substantial length of the tubes in the lower portion of the considerable liquid mass results in'a stabilizing effect so that when finally discharged by the tubes the liquid is at proper operating temperature.

An example of apparatus with which the quench pot may be employed to advantage is shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,300,329 granted to Wood et 21., October 27, 194 2,. In heat treatment as taught by this patent, the Workis heated directly by its resistance to the passage of electric current therethrough, with the current being applied by a contact bath and a quench bath both containing an electrically conductive liquid. By using such a liquid, for

example lead or a lead alloy, in the present quench pot, the same may be used to function additionally in this manner as an electrical contact. With molten metal, the provision for inspecting the flow through the tubes is of considerable advantage, since the possibility of deposit.

quench pot adapted to contain a considerable mass of a quench liquid having work entering and exiting ends spaced a substantial distance apart, guide means disposed transversely of said pot for guiding the advancing Work substantially horizontally through the pot beneath the level of quench liquid therein, a pump operative to displace liquid from the work entering end of said pot, and a long tube supported horizontally beneath the operating level of liquid in the pot and extending substantially the entire effective quenching length thereof, said tube being open at its forward end and rotatably connected 7 to the outlet of said pump at its other end, whereby the tube circulation of quench liquid thus afforded, will prevent the formation of a hot spot at the work entering end of the pot, the rotatable connection of said tube with said pump enabling the former to be lifted from the pot Without operative disconnection to permit inspection thereof and observation of the flow of quench liquid thercthrough.

2. Apparatus for the continuous quenching of heated wire and the like advanced therethrough,comprising a quench pot adapted to contain a considerable mass of a quench liquidhavi-ng work entering and exiting ends spaced a substantial distance apart, guide means re- L the point of initial work contact with the quench liquid,

movably supported transversely of said pot for guiding the advancing work substantially horizontally through-the pot beneath the level of quench liquid therein, a pump well adjacent and in liquid communication with the work entering end of said pot, a pump in said well having an inlet opening in the well and an outlet header rotatably connected therewith and extending into the work entering end of the pot,and plural long tubes extending horizontally from said header to the work exiting end of said pot beneath the level of liquid, the pump being:

operative to circulate the quench liquid. from the work entering to the work exiting end of, the pot through; said tubes, thereby to prevent the formation of a hot spot at the rotatable connection of said header permitting said tubes to be lifted from'the pot in operation for inspection and observation of the flow of quench liquid therethrough.

3. Apparatus for the continuous quenching of heated wire and the like advanced therethrough, comprising 'a quench pot having work entering and exiting endjs spaced a substantial distance apart, a plurality of transverse heating units located in the bottom portion of said. pot, guide. means disposedtransversely of said pot for guiding the advancing work substantially horizontally therethrough beneath the level of quench liquid therein, a pump operative to displace liquidfrom the work entering end of said pot, and a long tube supported horizontally beneath Y the operating level of liquid and extending substantially the entire effective quenching length of the pot, said tube being open at its forward end and rotatably connected to the outlet of said pump at its other end, whereby the' tube circulation of: quench liquid thus afforded will prevent the formation of a hot spot at the work entering end of the pot, the rotatable connection of said tube with liquid level thereof, pump means for displacing liquid" from the work entering end of the pot into one end of: said conduit, the conduit discharging at the other pot end, thereby to establish a flow of quench liquid opposite to the direction of work movement and thus prevent the formation of a hot spot at the work entering end of the pot, and means rotatably supporting said conduit so constructed and arranged, that the latter may be swung clear of the pot without operative disconnection thereof from said purnp means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS was 

